Finca San Agustin
Only an hour away from the not unpleasant bustle of the city of Valencia is the total calm and tranquility of San Agustin.
Off the beaten track, and the main road between Onteniente and Fontanars too, this 18th century farmhouse, lovingly restored over three years by the five brothers and sisters who inherited it from their poetic grandfather, is surrounded by vines, almonds and olives, which are cultivated ecologically, and then find their way onto the menu in the hotel’s spacious restaurant.
Each of the 8 bedrooms is spacious (I got tired just walking to the bathroom; but that’s probably just me) and among the many comforting details is a sprig of wild flowers on your bed when you arrive.
Squirrels playing outside are another attraction, as are the giant barrels where kids can play and even, if they are up for the adventure, sleep out in, although I’m told the sounds of the squirrels usually have them bolting back to the luxury of their own beds.
The telescope in the main leisure/dining area reveals that one of the attractions at San Augustin is the astronomy weekends, where star gazers can come and enjoy the pollution free environment.
San Agustin, along with its sister building just across the way, Santa Elena, offers a perfect environment for all kinds of events; they even have a chapel for weddings.
For families there are workshops, trekking and guided vists to neighbouring places of interest, and of course it must not be forgotten that Fontanars is one of the most interesting wine producing areas in Spain, with several vineyards that welcome visitors.
San Agustin has only been open since May 2014, and for bureaucratic reasons doesn’t even have a proper sign on the road indicating that it is a hotel, so it’s best to book and have a chat with the manageress Reme, who is clearly passionate and well-informed about this little corner of unspoilt, and so far, relatively unknown paradise.
The area is perfect for walkers and cyclists, who after a long day out walking or cycling the many paths (the GR7 is nearby), can relax afterwards in the hotel sauna and/or jacuzzi, with, by arrangement, two kinds of massage and eight treatments involving grapes, cacao, green tea and all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff.
As we are in a primary vine and olive area, it is no accident that the hotel has an adjacent underground bodega, discovered by accident in fact while tending the fields. Just ask Reme for the castle-like key and ask anyone on a tractor where it is; it worked for us.
On our visit we were able to dine by the huge open fire, whose base is an old millstone, and enjoy the varied delights from the menu such as leg of lamb, suckling pig, washed down with a wide range of strictly local wines and wrapped up with a tantalising multi-herb ice cream.
In every nook and cranny you’ll find something to interest you, like a log on wheels that could be a footrest or a stool for a relatively short person.
If not, just staring out of the window over the fields and faraway is all the ocular massaging you need.
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